397

THE

ARROGANCY OF REASON, &c.

John fii. 9.

Nicodemus answered, and said unto him; How can these

things be?

In the beginning of this chapter you have a lecture read by the great teacher of the church, to a scholar that was newly entering into his school. He is yet but a catechumenus in preparation to be a Christian, rather than one indeed; having good thoughts of Christ, but not believing in him as the Messiah, nor engaged by baptism to be one of his disciples: and accordingly doth Christ suit his doctrine to his condition, and teach him first the great principle of Christianity. What success it had first, we find in the text, but not what was the issue at last; though by other texts we may probably conjecture.

First, The scholar is, by name, Nicodemus; by sect, a pharisee; by place, a ruler of the Jews, or one of their great council. For the frame of his mind, the degree of his preparatory knowledge or belief, you may discern it; 1. By the season of his coming: 2. By the motive that prevailed with him to come: and, 3. By the confession that he makes of his belief. From all which you may see, First, That he believed that there was a God, and that it belonged to God to teach mankind; and that it was his way to teach by men; and that it was man's duty to seek after God's teaching from his messengers, and come to them and request it; and that whoever could give sufficient evidence of his mission from God, should be heard by men; and that Jesus Christ did truly and undoubtedly work miracles; and that such miracles as Christ wrought were an undoubted proof that God was with him. All these things, it is apparent, he did believe, by these words: (Ver. 2:) "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God; for no man can do these miracles that thou dost, except God be with him."

Secondly, From hence also you see, that it was the evidence of Christ's miracles that had thus far convinced him, and drove him to Christ, as a teacher come from God, and consequently one that was to be credited: but that he was the Messiah, here is yet no confession.

Thirdly, And as his belief was but preparatory, so this change upon his heart doth appear to be no better, for he hath not yet learned the lesson of self-denial, and preferring the known truth and duty (of seeking after the mind of God from his messengers) before the credit of the world, or his life; and therefore he comes to Jesus but by night, as being afraid to own him in the face of his enemies.

Yet doth not Christ cast this cowardice in his teeth to his discouragement, but fitteth his medicine to the strength of the patient, as well as to the disease: for there was more malice and raging zeal against the truth, among the Jews, than among the gentiles; and so more dangers and sufferings, which a novice might not be so fit to encounter with. And, therefore, Paul, when he went up to Jerusalem, did preach the Gospel privately to them of worldly reputation, which, among the gentiles and inferior Jews, he preacheth publicly, lest, through the prevalency of men's pride or cowardice, his physic should not do its work, but he should run or labour in vain. (Gal. ii. 2.)

The first and great thing that Christ presently falls upon, is to let this man know, that this much will not serve his turn, (to confess the miracles, and so the divine mission of Christ,) but that he must also truly believe the office that he is sent upon, even to be the Messiah, the Mediator, and the Redeemer of the world, and must openly be engaged to him as such a one by baptism, and so own him and confess him before the world, and receive his renewing Spirit, for the illumination of his understanding, the purifying and quickening of his heart, and the reforming and after-guidance of his life.

This work Christ calleth by the name of the new birth, or regeneration, and tells Nicodemus, "That except he be born again of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Not that there is the same necessity of the washing by water, and the purifying by the Spirit. For by "water" is principally meant that covenant which baptism did sign; even the confession of Christ, and dedication to him in the relation of redeemed ones, children, disciples, and subjects, on our part, and his re-engagement and relation to us; yet

"water" itself is the thing nearly signified in the word, and the use of it is of divine appointment, and not to be neglected where it may be used; but the necessity to salvation is placed in the relation, or thing signified. As it is common to say to a soldier of the enemy's,' If thou wilt change thy general, and take the prince's colours, and fight for him, thou mayest have a pardon for thy rebellion.' Where taking colours is a duty; but the necessity is placed in the change of his relation and practice, for if there were no colours at hand to give him, yet if he be listed as a soldier (or if not listed, yet, if by open profession and action joined to them) it will be accepted; or else, as Grotius expoundeth it," By water and the spirit is meant, a washing, cleansing spirit;" of which see him in loc.

This change that is here called the "new birth," is not the new creation of a substance, or destruction of our former substance or faculties for we have still the same natural powers of understanding and willing; but it is the change of the disposition, habits, and acts of those faculties: and, with submission to the contrary-minded, I conceive that it is not only our real, qualitative change that is here called the "new birth ;" but that the word is more comprehensive, as I before expressed, including our new relation to God in Christ, as sons and disciples to Christ, and servants, subjects, or soldiers under him: with a removal from our former relations which we were in by corruption, and are inconsistent with these. So that it comprehendeth both our new relations to God, to the Redeemer, and to his church; where we have a new father, husband, lord, and fellow-servants: new brothers, and sisters, and inheritance, though yet we renounce not our natural brethren, parents, and inheritance, as the popish, monastical votaries conceive, any further than as they are contrary to the interest of Christ.

The reasons that persuade me to take regeneration in this extent, are,

First, Because it is the entrance into our whole new state that is here so called, without any limiting expression.

Secondly, Because we are said to be born of water as well as the Spirit and certainly baptism doth as nearly and truly signify our justification, and relative change, and new covenant engagements, and adoption, and church membership, as it doth our qualitative renovation. Nor do I see how any fair exposition can be given of that saying, "Except a man be born of water," which shall not include the change of our relation, as

well as of our dispositions. And the like I may say of other texts, which mention regeneration, which I will not now so far digress as to recite.

Having seen what Christ teacheth Nicodemus first, let us next see the success of his doctrine. Nicodemus fastening too much upon the metaphorical term of "being born again," and withal not understanding the meaning of it, nor the scope of Christ, he presently expresseth his ignorance and unbelief by this question, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born ?” Hereupon Christ returning an explicatory answer, telling him not only the nature of the new birth, but also the mysteriousness of its causes in the effecting it, and showing a plain reason from natural agents, why the mysteriousness of this should not make it seem incredible; yet doth Nicodemus return a second answer like the first, "How can these things be?" Which words do impart not an absolute unbelief of the truth of what Christ had said, but a great ignorance of his meaning, and a not-discerning of that evidence fully which should have caused full belief; but a strong apprehension of the improbability of the thing affirmed, and thereupon a great doubting of the truth of the affirmation. And note here the aggravations of Nicodemus's fault :

First, They were the words of one that he himself confessed to be a teacher come from God, and that sealed his doctrine by such miracles as none could do, except God were with him; and doth God send any messenger with a lie, or any teacher that knoweth not what he teacheth; or will he seal untruths, or senseless absurdities, with such unquestionable miracles? Surely, a man that was once convinced that God sent the messenger, and sealed the message, should be confident that the matter of it is divine, and should never once suspect it of untruth.

Secondly, Though Christ did, with frequent asseverations, aver the truth of his doctrine, yet did Nicodemus stagger through unbelief.

Thirdly, It was the very catechism and rudiments of piety, and Christianity, which were so strange to him.

Fourthly, The term, by which Christ expresseth spiritual things, he understandeth all in a carnal sense; yea, and after that Christ had told him plainly what birth he means, not carnal, producing a fleshly creature, but of water and the Spirit, producing a spiritual creature, yet doth not Nicodemus understand him for all this?

Fifthly, Yet was this man a ruler of the Jews, even one of the great Sanhedrim, and one reputed skilful in the law; one that professed himself a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructer of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which had the form of knowledge, and of the truth in the law; one of those that boasted of God, and of the law. (Rom. ii. 17-20.) Yet he that should teach others had not learned these rudiments himself.

Sixthly, And when Christ used a familiar instance, to show him that things are not therefore incredible, because invisible, or because invisible, or because we know not the nature, cause, and end of them. We may know that it is, when we cannot know what it is, or whence, or why it is, or whither it tends, as in the blowing of the wind, is evident; yet doth not Nicodemus cease his doubting on this account, but asketh "How can these things be?" The spirituality and mysteriousness of the thing made it seem improbable to his uninformed intellect; and the seeming improbability made him doubt of the verity. Because it was past his apprehension to conceive how it should be, therefore he doubted whether it were true or not. He had not so much rational consciousness of his own ignorance, or so much confidence in a teacher sent from God, and sealing his doctrine by miracles, as to acquiesce as a learner in his teacher's credit, concerning the verity of the thing, while he was seeking to get a clearer discovery of its nature, rise, and ends.

So that here were all these sins together manifested in this answer, great ignorance, even in a ruler; unbelief, doubting of the conclusion, when he had acknowledged the premises; an unteachableness, in part, when he professed himself to come to learn; an arrogant conceit of the capaciousness of his understanding, as if Christ's words, or the plain truth, should be sooner suspected, than his shallow capacity.

From this picture we may well conclude what is the ordinary shape of man's corrupted disposition, and we may all know ourselves by knowing Nicodemus; and from hence I may raise this observation of us all:

Doct. The corrupt nature of man is more prone to question the truth of God's word, than to see and confess their own ignorance and incapacity; and ready to doubt whether the things that Christ revealeth are true, when they themselves do not know the nature, cause, and reason of them.

They will make every thing which they understand not to seem